Finally we could discover why Xbox Game Pass is so essential for Microsoft

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• Finally we could discover why Xbox Game Pass is so essential for Microsoft

The Apple vs Epic Games trial may have started out as a battle to get Fortnite back on the iPhone, but now it has become the tool to spread any and all secrets in the game. The latest reveal explains why Xbox might be so keen to push Game Pass as far as possible and not keep it exclusive to its console platform. Xbox Vice President Lori Wright has been called as a witness for the court battle. According to Protocol, when asked about the margin on Xbox console sales by Epic Games' lawyer, Wright replied: "We sell consoles at a loss." She then asked if an Xbox console had ever been sold for profit, she replied "No." One of gaming's worst kept secrets is that consoles pretty much always sell at a loss and make money selling games, but it's always surprising to hear that out loud. Though the feedback may explain Microsoft's push to get Game Pass released on as many platforms as possible; if he can sell you the games without losing on consoles, then it's a win-win situation.

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Why was Microsoft a witness in the epic court battle against Apple?

Epic's lawyer's line of questioning may seem strange for a legal battle between Epic Games and Apple, but developer Fortnite was using the profitability of the Xbox to justify why it doesn't mind a 70/30 revenue split. on consoles, but it does. on mobile. Judge Yvonne González Rogers, who will be the only person to decide the outcome of the case, previously stated that Epic should persuade her as to why Apple was particularly at fault. She worried that her resolution might have too big an impact on digital storefronts in general.

Is the Game Pass profitable?

Consoles have been a loss leader for the past several decades, but is the Xbox capable of changing the game with Game Pass? Does Game Pass really make you money when consoles aren't? This is a question that many strangers to Xbox want to know because the answer is not clear. We know that Game Pass Ultimate costs $XNUMX / $XNUMX / AU$XNUMX a month and, according to reviews from early this year, has close to XNUMX million subscribers. That would be about €XNUMX million a month, or €XNUMX billion a year.

(Image credit: Xbox) Of course, it's not that simple - Game Pass has different tiers and regular deals that sell it at a much cheaper price - but those numbers are still nothing to laugh about. As more people buy Xbox Series Xs and XCloud, the Game Pass streaming service, reaches more platforms like smart TVs, we're sure that number will only grow even higher. And that development is surely the most essential now. Speaking to Eurogamer, analyst Daniel Ahmad said that Xbox is "truly in a user acquisition phase." He further explained that "by the time people have this library, it's extremely unlikely they'll unsubscribe, and they'll continue to subscribe for the foreseeable future." The moment there are enough people trapped in the ecosystem, that's when the benefits start to show up. So Xbox is in this waiting game now, supporting its platform as more and more people sign up. Unfortunately, that means we'll have to wait as well. It's going to be a while before we know if Game Pass is a success or not, but since people love it, it seems like everyone is hoping it works out. The best instant deals on Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate